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"Cumberland Reel", also known as "Hilly-Go Filly-Go All the Way", "Hokey Pokey",
"King of the Cannibal Islands",
"Nottingham Swing" or
"Vulcan's Cave" is a Scottish country dance tune in 6/8 time and D Major.
The parts are played AAB (Kerr) or ABC (Lees).
"Cumberland Reel" is the name of a favorite Scottish country dance, with the word 'reel' descriptive of the dance steps rather than signifying a fast duple-time tune. The county of Cumberland is first mentioned in the 10th century and is derived from the name of its inhabitants: the ancient Celtic people called the Brittons who were driven into the hills of the West of England by the Anglo-Saxon invaders. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry (Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales). These words are descended from the Brythonic word "combrogi", meaning "fellow-countrymen". The tune was adapted for the Mormon song "The Handcart Song". It was printed Kerr's Merry Melodies, vol. 1 (c. 1880) and J. Kenyon Lees' Balmoral Reel Book (1910). |